Tories propose to reward welfare recipients who work, clawback those who don’t

Waterloo Region Record

TORONTO - Able-bodied people who have been on welfare for long periods should see their cheques shrink to give them a stronger motivation to find jobs, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak says in a new policy paper.

“We want to decrease the incentives to remain on welfare, so they should see their benefits steadily decline,” Hudak said Thursday in the 22-page document.

If elected in a race that could come as early as this spring, Hudak said the Tories would consult with experts in the field on when to start scaling benefits and by how much.

“We’ll get their best advice on what those stages should be.”

Hudak also called for welfare recipients to be given food cards, similar to bank cards pre-loaded with cash, for a portion of their benefits “to make sure the dollars are going toward their intended purpose” and as an anti-fraud measure.

He also said welfare recipients who are working should be able to keep more of their earned income each month, getting a “toehold” in the labour market — backing a recommendation to reduce clawbacks in a major report on social assistance reform released last year by Frances Lankin and Munir Sheikh.

Hudak is also supporting the push from Lankin, Sheikh and prominent economist Don Drummond to combine the Ontario Works welfare program with the Ontario Disability Support Program into one larger program, saying that will help people get into jobs faster.

Employment plans would be drawn up for each welfare recipient, with an eye to recognizing their “challenges and circumstances,” the policy paper said.

“In order to receive income support, recipients will be expected to participate in the activities committed to in their individual employment plan.”

Unlike the Lankin-Sheikh report to Premier Dalton McGuinty’s minority Liberal government last fall, Hudak said he is not calling for an increase in welfare rates, and noted a Tory government would not increase the minimum wage from $10.25.